Giorgia Bronzini (Colavita-Forno d’Asolo) didn’t have her best day in yesterday’s Ronde van Vlaanderen. The World Champion finished in 79th place, exactly 4 minutes behind race winner Annemiek van Vleuten, ironically sandwiched by her two Italian rainbow jersey predecessors Tatiana Guderzo (81st) and Marta Bastianelli (76th).
Bronzini is known as a sprinter who can get over climbs though, which is how she came to win her rainbow jersey, has featured in a number of breaks in the Ronde in recent years and took fifth in 2005. The reason for her performance yesterday though was the proximity of the World Track Championships, where she, and a number of the other top women were riding.
“No,” she told VeloNation in response to a question about whether she’d had a good day in the maglia irridata. “I’ve come from the track.
“I’ve done some special training for the track and now I’m bad on the roads,” she explained. “I think my season begins at the end of April!”
Bronzini is not the only rider whose road season is suffering due to clashes with the Apeldoorn World Championships. She, and a number of the other top Italians were either forced to miss the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the biggest single day women’s race in Italy, or arrive there as track riders on a tough, hilly course last week.
Marianne Vos also missed the race, as she was busy winning the scratch race – her seventh rainbow jersey across all disciplines – denying her the chance to take a hat-trick of victories in the Italian World Cup race, and putting her behind her rivals in the season-long competition.
With the rewards still pitiful in women’s cycling, compared to the million euro contracts of the men, very few can afford to specialise, so the clashing of major events can cause all kinds of problems.